Leave it to H. L. Mencken, a voice from another century, to write for this moment. In an article published in 1918, he says, "It is only the savage, whether of the African bush or the American gospel tent, who pretends to know the will and intent of God exactly and completely."
So, along comes evangelist Pat Robertson, preaching from TV's largest gospel tent, the 700 Club, to declare that God afflicted Ariel Sharon for "dividing the land."
As Robertson "credits" the Lord (and has since apologized), others, mostly on the Left, need someone else to blame for Sharon's condition (see "Is Pat Robertson the Right Enemy?"). No, they are not blaming the Right for the stroke, not exactly, but they are blaming those "hardliners" for not suffering enough for the ailing prime minister. They are not responding as they should. Where's the love?
Already it's begun, recriminations against people who are not sufficiently distraught. There is a litmus test. To be embraced by the Left (the Establishment) you must say that Sharon is the savior of Israel. To keep your papers in order, you must cry for the beloved country in the event that Sharon passes from the scene.
If you say (as I have) that Sharon should enjoy a speedy recovery, but in speedy retirement, well, that is not enough; or rather, it is enough to be called heartless. Thou shalt love Sharon with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. People are watching just how hard you are davening.
If you fail their test, watch out! Several writers have already learned their lesson. Two come to mind, Rachel Saperstein and Ranana Marmelsteain. Both wrote commentaries that were published in major Israeli newspapers, and it so happens that these two are what we now call "evacuees", people who once thrived in Gush Katif and numbers of whom are now residing in tent cities.
So, what did they say, these two who brought upon themselves the wrath of the Left? They wished Sharon well, but added that they cannot weep for him as they have run out of tears. They did all their crying and praying when Sharon mobilized the army, and then had the army evict them from their homes in Gaza. Evacuees (what an awful word!) Saperstein and Marmelstein wrote that they had nothing left for Sharon.
Well, that sure roused the enlightened liberal camp. Forgetting that they are all about love and compassion and painful concessions (but for whom?), they've been bashing Saperstein and Marmelstein as disgusting and shameful. What happened? These two women of valor failed the test. They are not correctly righteous (think of Camus' The Stranger).
Back in Montreal, at the yeshiva, there was a rabbi who kept checking to make sure we rocked and swayed properly while praying. Our piety was being judged. In some countries, people disappear if they forget to cheer properly when the leader passes by, or if they fail to mourn heavily when he dies.
Remember the words of King Solomon: "Do not be overly pious." (I believe he meant: 1. Do not be judgmental; 2. Keep it to yourself. Don't make a show.)
In Israel, and even around here in the US, the overly pious are watching and taking names. These people (of the extreme Left) have found a born-again righteousness, and they judge you and they judge me. They are on the alert for any sign of lapsing or lagging during this period that demands exact sadness, measurable on the scale of leftist rectitude.
This is not like "who poisoned Arafat?" But more like who is poisoning Sharon through relative indifference. No sensible man or woman of the Left would fault the Right directly for Sharon's misfortune, but it is enough to fault the Right for being lax in sorrow. Someone, it seems, has to take the rap, if not directly, then indirectly.
Those "evacuees", then, have been scapegoated once by being evacuated, and twice by their failure to weep sufficient tears for the man who evacuated them. They keep taking it, coming and going. No tears for them. No tears for the people who've had to wrap up their lives into boxes. Only jeers for them, and that smells like poison.
Bestselling author Robert Spencer calls it "courageous, a rousing thriller" and the raves keep coming in for Jack Engelhard's latest novel that's got all the news that is not fit to print. Catch The Bathsheba Deadline, Engelhard's explosive newsroom thriller that's running as a serial on Amazon.com. Part 3 is available now for digital download by clicking here. The novel will run exclusively on Amazon.com with a new installment each month until completion.
So, along comes evangelist Pat Robertson, preaching from TV's largest gospel tent, the 700 Club, to declare that God afflicted Ariel Sharon for "dividing the land."
As Robertson "credits" the Lord (and has since apologized), others, mostly on the Left, need someone else to blame for Sharon's condition (see "Is Pat Robertson the Right Enemy?"). No, they are not blaming the Right for the stroke, not exactly, but they are blaming those "hardliners" for not suffering enough for the ailing prime minister. They are not responding as they should. Where's the love?
Already it's begun, recriminations against people who are not sufficiently distraught. There is a litmus test. To be embraced by the Left (the Establishment) you must say that Sharon is the savior of Israel. To keep your papers in order, you must cry for the beloved country in the event that Sharon passes from the scene.
If you say (as I have) that Sharon should enjoy a speedy recovery, but in speedy retirement, well, that is not enough; or rather, it is enough to be called heartless. Thou shalt love Sharon with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. People are watching just how hard you are davening.
If you fail their test, watch out! Several writers have already learned their lesson. Two come to mind, Rachel Saperstein and Ranana Marmelsteain. Both wrote commentaries that were published in major Israeli newspapers, and it so happens that these two are what we now call "evacuees", people who once thrived in Gush Katif and numbers of whom are now residing in tent cities.
So, what did they say, these two who brought upon themselves the wrath of the Left? They wished Sharon well, but added that they cannot weep for him as they have run out of tears. They did all their crying and praying when Sharon mobilized the army, and then had the army evict them from their homes in Gaza. Evacuees (what an awful word!) Saperstein and Marmelstein wrote that they had nothing left for Sharon.
Well, that sure roused the enlightened liberal camp. Forgetting that they are all about love and compassion and painful concessions (but for whom?), they've been bashing Saperstein and Marmelstein as disgusting and shameful. What happened? These two women of valor failed the test. They are not correctly righteous (think of Camus' The Stranger).
Back in Montreal, at the yeshiva, there was a rabbi who kept checking to make sure we rocked and swayed properly while praying. Our piety was being judged. In some countries, people disappear if they forget to cheer properly when the leader passes by, or if they fail to mourn heavily when he dies.
Remember the words of King Solomon: "Do not be overly pious." (I believe he meant: 1. Do not be judgmental; 2. Keep it to yourself. Don't make a show.)
In Israel, and even around here in the US, the overly pious are watching and taking names. These people (of the extreme Left) have found a born-again righteousness, and they judge you and they judge me. They are on the alert for any sign of lapsing or lagging during this period that demands exact sadness, measurable on the scale of leftist rectitude.
This is not like "who poisoned Arafat?" But more like who is poisoning Sharon through relative indifference. No sensible man or woman of the Left would fault the Right directly for Sharon's misfortune, but it is enough to fault the Right for being lax in sorrow. Someone, it seems, has to take the rap, if not directly, then indirectly.
Those "evacuees", then, have been scapegoated once by being evacuated, and twice by their failure to weep sufficient tears for the man who evacuated them. They keep taking it, coming and going. No tears for them. No tears for the people who've had to wrap up their lives into boxes. Only jeers for them, and that smells like poison.
Bestselling author Robert Spencer calls it "courageous, a rousing thriller" and the raves keep coming in for Jack Engelhard's latest novel that's got all the news that is not fit to print. Catch The Bathsheba Deadline, Engelhard's explosive newsroom thriller that's running as a serial on Amazon.com. Part 3 is available now for digital download by clicking here. The novel will run exclusively on Amazon.com with a new installment each month until completion.